Corporate governance is a hot topic this month, with several noteworthy announcements. In-house lawyers should also keep an eye on developments in executive remuneration, women on boards and climate change.

What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in December 2022?

Networking for early-career in-house lawyers: an invitation to the Practical Law In-house Future Forum
On behalf of the Practical Law Future Forum Steering Committee, we would like to invite you to participate in a meeting on the topic of networking for early-career in-house lawyers, at 1300-1400 on Tuesday 6 December via Teams webinar.
The meeting will feature presentations from Alisa Grafton (partner at De Pinna Notaries and author of Great Networking: The Art and Practice of Building Authentic Professional Relationships) and Andre Brown, Senior Commissioning Editor at Practical Law.
Topics covered will include:
- Developing your networking goals and mindset.
- Strategic, but authentic, networking.
- Practical aspects of face-to-face and virtual networking.
There will be an opportunity to put questions to our speakers at the end of the session.
Follow this link for more details, and to register.
We hope to see you there!

Notes on The Economist’s 19th annual General Counsel Summit
Thomson Reuters was the lead sponsor of The Economist’s 19th annual General Counsel (GC) Summit, where risk, resilience and leadership were the headline topics for discussion. Here are my thoughts on the themes from across the day.

Reviewing and negotiating climate change and other ESG clauses in commercial contracts
Businesses are increasingly seeking to impose specific contractual requirements on their suppliers in relation to climate change and other environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters.
Practical Law has published an article outlining possible steps to help suppliers review, assess and respond to customer requests for bespoke climate change and other ESG clauses in contract negotiations.
Steps are considered by reference to a mock scenario and example clauses, to illustrate how they might apply in practice.

The Hearing podcast: ep.105, Ranjit Sond (Society of Asian Lawyers)
Episode 105 of the Hearing is now available.
In this episode, Yasmin chats to Ranjit Sond, President of the UK’s Society of Asian Lawyers. Ranjit is a former personal injury lawyer and now works for the Government Legal Department. In this conversation, he talks candidly about his career and the motivations behind the decisions he’s made to shape it.
In his role as President for the Society of Asian Lawyers, Ranjit’s focus includes helping to foster more diverse talent in the profession. He’s also working hard to address the problem of sexual abuse and harassment within the industry.

Please join us on 23 November 2022 (2.00pm – 3.15pm) for a webinar hosted by The Centre for Legal Leadership on the role of the in-house lawyer in handling a crisis.
Unexpected and sometimes catastrophic events can arise in many different contexts. The impact will vary but may include significant harm to people or the environment, an interruption to business operations, a major financial reversal or long-term reputational damage.
This webinar will look at the role of in-house lawyers in handling crises in their organisations, particularly in relation to assessing risk and impact, as well as planning and implementation. It will also consider whether the lawyer’s role has changed, or will change, in the light of lessons learned from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The discussion will be led by our speakers, Sharon Blackman OBE, Managing Director and General Counsel at Citi, and Peter King, Legal Advisor to the Treasury.

What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in November 2022?
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has confirmed that an Autumn Statement, rather than a “Medium-term Fiscal Plan”, will be delivered in November. This month, in-house lawyers should also keep track of the progress of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, and climate change and data protection developments.

Ask Data protection trends
Navigating data protection can be unremittingly complex and challenging for subscribers. Data protection compliance frequently relies on interpreting non-explicit rules with limited detailed guidance available. The ambiguity on how to interpret the law can be the cause of much frustration for practitioners and lawyers alike.
Certain themes regularly feature across subscriber questions; applying exemptions, the age-old question of “When is an organisation a controller or a processor?” and recently, the implications of using biometric data has been a hot topic.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) new data transfer clauses (released February 2022) have made transfers, predictably, the most prevalent subscriber issue. Typically, new requirements such as these can entail significant investment by organisations for whom data transfers form an integral business practice. Implementation of the requirements is further compounded by the need for transfer risk assessments.

Designing and delivering a valued legal service to your organisation
How to design and deliver a valued legal service to your organisation was the topic of conversation at the latest Centre for Legal Leadership webinar, hosted in conjunction with Thomson Reuters. This post summarises the key talking points.

The Hearing podcast: ep.103, Michelle Last (Keystone Law)
Episode 103 of the Hearing is now available.
In this episode, Yasmin sits down with employment law partner (and old university friend) Michelle Last. Michelle’s passion to see those who experience fertility issues of all types treated more fairly at work has informed both her practice and her public advocacy.
The pair have a wide-ranging discussion that covers, among other things, IVF, miscarriages and the menopause, and the negative impact such major life events can have on someone’s career. It’s a complex facet of diversity and inclusion in employment law, and we’re grateful to Michelle for such an insightful look at this from both a personal and legal perspective.